'Why not?': Chris Gardner now coaching second sport this fall at Wareham

WAREHAM — One day Chris Gardner is coaching Wareham High field hockey in its regular-season finale.

The next day, Gardner is on the football sidelines as the Vikings’ interim head coach after Brandon Perry resigned seven games into his first year with the team.

“I called Chris and I said, ‘What are you doing tomorrow? Would you think about filling in the rest of the year for football?’" said Wareham High athletic director Ed Rodrigues. "He thought about it and called his wife and said, ‘I’ll do it.’”

Gardner had already stepped up earlier this fall to fill in on an interim basis to direct the school's field hockey team with the head coach having a baby.

“I figured why not give it a shot and help these girls out,” Gardner said of coaching field hockey for the first time in his career. “We ended up having a lot of fun.”

Rodrigues added, “Our field hockey coach is having a baby but still wants to coach. The assistant coach had a baby, too. She wants to come back and coach. It’s hard to hire somebody for just a year. The reason we asked Chris is he has a good rapport with the kids.”

When Rodrigues came calling again — this time for football — Gardner couldn’t pass up the opportunity to help another group of student-athletes at Wareham.

“It was for a lot of the same reasons I did it for the girls,” the longtime Wareham track and field coach said. “I wanted them to have the season they envisioned and to finish out something worth remembering. The kids have done awesome.

“A lot of the guys on the football team, I've had for students and or I’ve had with track. It was an easy thing to do. It was a no-brainer.”

"It speaks to his dedication and his commitment to the students of Wareham High School," said Wareham High School Principal Scott Palladino. "He's always very supportive of all our kids. In the summer, he opens the weight room for all the different kids from different sports."

Gardner has a strong background in football. He was a Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic his senior year as he helped Nantucket reach the 1998 Div. 5 Super Bowl, where the Whalers lost to Greater Lawrence.

Gardner was recruited to play lacrosse in college, but ended up playing football and running track at Ohio Wesleyan.

Gardner’s first coaching job was as Wareham’s freshman football coach under Dan Nault from 2007-2011, but when his son was born, he stepped back and took on a volunteer role with the football program. Gardner has coached winter and spring girls track for 15 years and both the boys and girls winter and spring track teams the last five years.

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“He teaches history at the high school and he’s a really good teacher,” Rodrigues said. “The kids love him. He’s very good at what he does and he has the right attitude. We wanted somebody the kids would respond to. He’s got great control.

“He’s very well liked by the students and the staff. We wanted somebody like that. He filled the void. Wareham is lucky to have someone like Chris Gardner.”

When Gardner took over the football team, his goal was simple.

“I told the kids, ‘The biggest thing is for us to have fun,’” he said. “Winning is fun, but it’s not going to come at the cost of anything else. The kids are having fun and learning a lot about each other. It’s a nice tight-knit group.”

As for the Xs and Os, Gardner said he’s been following the lead of Wareham’s assistant coaches, who have been with the team from the start of the season.

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“The assistant coaches have been super helpful in easing me into my role,” he said. “The school feels strongly about the assistant coaches. They just need someone to help steer the ship. I’ve let them continue to do what they’re doing. I’m there to provide advice and leadership.”

“All the other coaches we have are younger guys,” Rodrigues said. “It’s made for a good fit.”

The Vikings, who are 7-3, have a chance at their best record since 2017 (9-2) entering their Thanksgiving Day matchup against Bourne.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Chris Gardner becomes interim head coach for Wareham High football